Lawmaker reintroduces bills to exempt truckers from ELDs

A Minnesota lawmaker has made good on his promise and reintroduced legislation that would exempt some truckers from Electronic Logging Device (ELD) regulations.

In early February 2019, CDLLife reported that Rep. Collin Peterson had plans to reintroduce two pieces of legislation intended to provide certain truckers with relief from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association’s (FMCSA) ELD regulations.

On Tuesday, March 12, Peterson followed through and reintroduced the two bills in the House of Representatives, according to a news release from Peterson’s office. Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte helped Peterson to reintroduce the bills.

One of the bills, the Small Carrier Electronic Logging Device Exemption Act, would exempt carriers who operate 10 trucks or fewer from ELD regulation requirements.

The other bill, the Agricultural Business Electronic Logging Device Exemption Act, would exempt drivers who are hauling agricultural products from ELD regulation requirements.

Both bills would still require that truck drivers use paper logs and that they comply with all of the FMCSA’s Hours of Service regulations.

Peterson said, “This important legislation will eliminate regulations for small trucking companies and will help reduce unnecessary stops and delays which threaten the agricultural products that they help to transport. These bills are a win for small businesses in rural America and our farmers.

Peterson initially introduced the bills in May of 2018, but neither received enough support from other lawmakers to make it out of committee to the floor of the House for a vote. Neither bill was supported by then-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, but Ryan stepped down as Speaker in January 2019.